It's always been the case that people can be reprimanded for things they do out of work time, if they are being linked to that employer at the time. Which is why people should be very careful with their online persona, especially on social networking, and more so when they chose to add their real names along side their real employer details.

Teachers are often reminded of such things. Why should it be different for any one else?

I don't see it as inappropriate either. If you have your employer on your profile, you are representing them. You shouldn't be abused anyone, but you certainly shouldn't be doing it where your professional status is visible. I don't see any issue KA picking her up on that.

As for Frankie Boyle, I don't know what he has said, but he is generally a very vile abusive comedian, so I'm pretty much with KA on that one too.

If your twitter feed is called 'M&S worker' then people will assume that what you post is linked to that brand, ie that person is representing the views of M&S. In which case, you probably shouldn't go around calling people names. If the person didn't have their employer in their name, she couldn't have responded that way. Although she still would have been right to call them on their nasty namecalling

i agree with her. if you want to name call etc then do it under your own name and downt bring your employer into it. they're risking their job.

i have a friend on FB who posted some whingey stuff about some customers he had staying at the hotel he worked at. he has his place of work listed on his profile! what an idiot. i sent him a message letting him know that his employers might not appreciate his form of publicity.

I think it's quite immature and self-important of Allsopp to reply in this way. I am not defending the M&S worker, they were obviously immature in the first place, however Allsopp is a public figure and therefore she should expect some negative comments from time to time. The best way to deal with this is to ignore it, you can't fight fire with fire. I don't think Allsopp deserves to have negative comments thrown at her, however she should expect them given her line of work and should respond maturely. I don't think she's setting a very good example here.

OP I think she did respond maturely. She hasn't done anything to this M&S worker , but has given a clear warning that she may do with subsequent comments from subsequent people. Fair play to her. Also fair play because Frankie Boyle does make vile vile comments

well she should expect them, i agree, but knowing that people will be vile to you doesn't mean you should let it go unchallenged. i'm in two minds about this tbh. personally i probably would have said "there's no need for name calling. it's fine to disagree but do it maturely etc" i might have added "btw do you know your employers name is attactched to your profile?" to let them know that i had that information about them (and possibly to scare them a wee tiny bit about what i might do with that info). on the other hand, someone who is stupid enough to post abusive names on the internet using their employers' name deserves to be called on it and i'm sure what kirsty did will make this personn think twice in future about who they call names and under what username. sometimes fire with fire is ok. celebs are human and should be able to defend themselves against stuff like this. just because tehy should expect it doesn't mean tehy should tolerate it.

'Allsopp is a public figure and therefore she should expect some negative comments from time to time.'

'she should expect them given her line of work and should respond maturely.'

You are defending them by suggesting that being called a 'stuck up bitch' is something that she should 'expect.' Why exactly?

Maybe if a few more idiots were sacked for doling out abuse online people would remember that you're usually identifiable and the Internet isn't a magic shield that protects you from the RL consequences of your actions.

If you state where you work on your twitter profile then you represent your company. At work I am then one policing employee accounts on twitter (and yes I do police them) and a remark like the one Kirsty replied to would invoke disciplinary action.